Pflichtveranstaltung für neue Studierende der Studienfächer mit laborpraktischen Inhalten die Sicherheitsschulung (in englischer Sprache) mit praktischer Feuerlöschübung stattfinden.
The safety training (in English) with practical fire-fighting exercises will take place as a compulsory event for new students of the study programmes with practical laboratory contents.

Teilnahme ist verpflichtend!
Participation is mandatory!

https://www.fb4.uni-bremen.de/o-woche/

Praktische Blockveranstaltung, die in der Concurrent Engineering Facility (CEF) stattfindet, einem Simultanentwurfslabor des DLR. In einem geführten Designprozess wird von den Studierenden ein Raumfahrzeug konzeptionell entwickelt. Dieser Prozess wird in dieser Form am DLR mehrmals im Jahr für Raumfahrtmissionen in der Praxis angewandt.
Die Studierenden übernehmen dabei für eine Woche die Rollen der Subsystem- bzw. Domänenexperten. Die für den Entwicklungsprozess relevanten Subsysteme und Domänen umfassen z. B. Struktur, Kommunikationssystem, Lageregelungssystem, Kosten, Risiken.
Während des DLR Concurrent Engineering Prozesses finden u. a. Aspekte des Collaborative Engineerings und MBSE-Tools (wie z. B. Virtual Satellite) sowie teilweise agile Desiggnmethoden Anwendung.

Water electrolysis is essential for oxygen and hydrogen production in Martian in-situ resource utilization. Under low gravity, low pressure, and variable temperature, multiphase bubble dynamics and system-level coordination present major challenges for reliable operation. This Master’s project focuses on developing multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) methods for autonomous, zero-shot coordination of electrolysis plants, with strong emphasis on up/downstream process line interactions and scheduling.
Students will build a reduced-order dynamic model (with thermodynamic–electrochemical coupling and simplified multiphase effects) to serve as a challenging control environment, then design structure-informed MARL agents that discover and exploit low-dimensional geometric and dynamical structures from simulation trajectories for robust scheduling and coordination across the full process chain under uncertainty. Optional extensions include uncertainty quantification or higher-fidelity validation.
The work contributes directly to the “Martian Mindset” paradigm of scarcity-driven, resilient engineering for space exploration and sustainable technologies on Earth.

The Haber-Bosch process is an indispensable part of the modern chemical industry, enabling large scale ammonia production particularly for fertilizers. Its potential implementation on Mars is of significant interest for supporting long-term human exploration through in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). This literature based project investigates the feasibility of deploying Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis under Martian environmental conditions, with a particular focus on comparing key process parameters between Earth and Mars.

Students will systematically analyze differences in nitrogen availability, hydrogen sourcing, operating pressure, temperature requirements, and overall energy demand. The Martian atmosphere, composed predominantly of CO₂ and only about 2 % nitrogen, presents significant challenges for nitrogen extraction and compression. In contrast to Earth, where hydrogen is primarily derived from fossil fuels, Martian hydrogen production relies on energy-intensive water electrolysis from sub surface ice deposits or hydrated minerals. With the core reaction conditions of the Haber-Bosch process remaining unchanged, the additional energy requirements associated with gas capture, purification, and high-pressure compression are expected to substantially increase the total system energy demand on Mars. The project will further evaluate potential energy sources, including solar power, and assess their suitability for sustaining ammonia production.

Crewed spacecraft and surface habitats continuously produce CO₂ as a metabolic byproduct, which must either be scrubbed and vented or actively converted into useful products. Electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) offers a dual benefit: removing a cabin atmosphere contaminant while producing valuable chemicals such as carbon monoxide, methane, formate, or methanol that can serve as fuel precursors or feedstocks for further synthesis. This literature project examines the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ as a component of a closed-loop life support and ISRU strategy, with particular attention to how microgravity and the CO₂-rich Martian atmosphere alter the design requirements relative to terrestrial systems.
Students will survey catalyst materials and selectivity for relevant CO₂RR products, review existing space-heritage carbon dioxide removal systems such as the Sabatier reactor on the ISS, and assess how an electrochemical approach compares in terms of mass, power consumption, and product flexibility. Simple Faradaic efficiency and power budget calculations will be performed to estimate the CO₂ conversion rate achievable within the electrical power envelope of a Mars surface habitat. The project will equip students to critically evaluate CO₂RR as a candidate technology for integration into future closed-loop planetary life support architectures.

The Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS) is a core element of CubeSat platforms, responsible for power regulation and distribution. The EPS must handle unregulated DC input from solar panels, provide stable output voltages (3.3 V, 5 V, 12 V), and interface with, e.g., USB-C and PC/104. It must also integrate protection circuits, telemetry, and power management functions.
This project covers the design, implementation, validation and testing of an EPS for CubeSat. The system will convert solar panel input into regulated outputs, implement overcurrent and overvoltage protection, and include Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) for solar array efficiency. Telemetry will include input/output current, voltage, power, cell voltage, and temperature and system health status. The additional design of a simple, first prototype of a compatible battery / power storage subsystem is desired.
Tasks:

• System Requirements and Architecture: Reflect power requirements, select battery technology, and design the EPS architecture.
• Component Selection and Circuit Design: Select solar panels, electrical components (voltage regulators, MPPT controllers, protection components, battery management, …). Design the PCB layout in KiCAD.
• Telemetry Implementation: Develop hardware and firmware for data acquisition/sensor readout and subsystem communication.
• Prototype Assembly and Testing: Build the EPS prototype and validate performance under simulated LEO conditions, including power cycling and fault scenarios.
• Documentation: Provide scientific background, schematics, test reports, and a final report documenting the design process, results, and recommendations.

The outcome of this project will be a functional EPS prototype on a custom PCB and a compatible battery (subsystem).
Experience in the design of electronics / PCBs is mandatory.

The C.R.O.P (Combined Regenerative Organic Food Production) technology was based on sustainable practices that integrate circular resource use into space systems. This system relied on natural biological processes, where micro-organisms convert components of urine into plant fertilizers. These fertilizers are then used to grow crops in controlled environments, contributing to food production while simultaneously managing waste. This integration of waste recycling and agriculture aimed to reduce the need for continuous resupply from Earth, which is one of the major challenges in space exploration. Developed and demonstrated in experiments such as the Eu: CROPIS mission by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), this approach focused on converting human waste into a usable fertilizer for plant cultivation. Rather than treating waste as a disposal problem, C.R.O.P utilized it as a valuable resource, aligning with the principles of closed-loop life support systems that are essential for long-duration extra-terrestrial missions to the Mars.

In this project, students will analyse how systems like C.R.O.P function, compare them with other existing space fertilizer development strategies, and assess their advantages and limitations in space environments. They will also be encouraged to think creatively by proposing simple conceptual designs for closed-loop fertilizer systems tailored to Martian habitats. By the end of the project, students will have developed the ability to critically engage with interdisciplinary research and appreciate the role of sustainable technologies in shaping the future of space exploration.

In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon and Mars relies on the ability to generate and store chemical energy from locally available resources, most notably water ice and solar irradiance. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photovoltaic-coupled electrolysis (PV-E) systems have been proposed as compact, scalable routes to producing hydrogen and oxygen from surface water without continuous resupply from Earth. This literature project compares PEC and PV-E architectures for solar hydrogen production under extraterrestrial conditions, examining how reduced solar flux, dust accumulation, and day-night cycles constrain system design on the lunar surface versus Mars.
Students will survey efficiency benchmarks reported for state-of-the-art PEC devices under terrestrial and simulated space conditions and assess how radiation degradation of semiconductor photoelectrodes impacts long-term performance. Back-of-envelope calculations will quantify the required solar collector area, electrolyser power rating, and hydrogen storage volume to sustain oxygen production for a four-person surface habitat over a 500-day mission at both locations. The project provides students with an integrated perspective on the interdependencies between solar energy conversion, electrochemistry, and ISRU mission architecture.

The project includes the theoretical investigation of fluid mechanical and thermodynamic processes which occur in the transfer line between two tanks. The processes are driven by pressure differences, temperature differences and phase change (evaporation and condensation). The application is an orbital depot or an in-orbit refueling process of a spacecraft. The operation of an orbital depot includes the removal of a single species fluid from a donor tank, the fluid transfer from the donor tank to the receiver tank and the filling of the receiver tank with the fluid under different acceleration levels.

Electrochemical systems such as water electrolysers and fuel cells are critical components of closed-loop life support systems for long-duration space missions. On Earth, convective heat dissipation passively assists thermal regulation. In microgravity, the absence of natural convection fundamentally alters heat and mass transfer at electrochemical interfaces. This literature project investigates thermal management strategies for electrochemical energy systems operating under space-relevant conditions, including microgravity, Lunar, and Martian surface environments. Students will review how the operating temperature affects the electrolyser efficiency, membrane durability, and electrolyte conductivity, and compare passive versus active thermal control approaches applicable to spacecraft volume and mass constraints.
Simple steady-state heat balance calculations will be performed to estimate acceptable operating power envelopes under representative mission scenarios (ISS, Lunar Gateway, Mars surface habitat). By the end of the project, students will be able to quantitively assess the feasibility of electrochemical life support components under thermal constraints and propose design guidelines for thermally robust space electrochemical systems.

World energy outlook
Hydrogen and fuel cells: introduction and historical perspective
Type of fuel cells and their applications

Thermodynamics and electrochemistry of fuel cells. Reversible behaviour Efficiencies
Main components and material properties
Polarization curve. Real behaviour. Fuel cell modelling
Fuel cell design and optimization
Techniques for fuel cell characterization

The lecture will provide students with the knowledge and tools to:

Fuel cell systems
Fuel and oxidant subsystems
Thermal management subsystem
Water management subsystem

Das Modul vermittelt die dominierenden, physikalischen Parameter und Prozesse der erdnahen Weltraumumgebung und ihre Auswirkungen auf das Design und die Operation von Raumfahrtzeugen, Weltraumhabitaten und Weltraumanzügen kennen.